Unknown. (2016, August 26). Lionfish-zapping robot offers solution to invasive species. Retrieved August 28, 2016, from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/daily_videos/lionfish-zapping-robot-offers-solution-to-invasive-species/  

Invasive lionfish have completely devastated oceanic habitats in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea and have wiped out a drastic amount of the juvenile fish population in those areas which takes a major toll on the surrounding environment. It is believed that lionfish spread to these waters due to people dumping their pet lionfish off of the southern Florida coast. A company by the name of RISE, or Robots in Service of the Environment, have created a way to stun and kill the lionfish with an electrical shock without harming fish in the surrounding areas. This will help to eliminate the invasive lionfish species while preserving the surrounding life.

This article shows how, yet again, people’s ignorance has led to non-native species causing major damage to foreign environments. It relates to environmental science because it talks about how scientists are adapting and getting rid of the species hurting certain environments and how environments can be completely wrecked by non-native species. I think that it is inhumane to try and kill all of the lionfish, seeing as they are unaware of all the damage they are causing and just trying to live. However, I understand that in order to preserve native species and their habitat these actions are necessary. I also think that the invention is cool, and that it can stun the lionfish with electricity without affecting anything around it.

University of Exeter. (2016, August 23). Biological invasions threaten developing countries. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 28, 2016 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160823083217.htm

According to a study done in recent years, invasive species brought to new countries through trade, travel, etc., are threatening the development of third world countries. The cumulative world total spent yearly dealing with invasive species is totalled to be $1.4 trillion. It is said that future air travel will worsen the problem by unintentionally bringing non-native species to places such as Africa and Asia, and climate change will provide for  a much easier environment for invasive species to grow and thrive. The article also states that advancing agriculture with further increase the likelihood of invasive species growing or spreading through trade.

This shows how invasive species are threatening environments on a large scale because they are contributing to the slow development of developing countries. This article relates to environmental science because it exemplifies how invasive species can affect the environment anywhere around the world, and are even beginning to threaten the development of entire nations because of their destructive tendencies and growing danger. In the article, it said that most people think of invasive species as a ‘first world problem,” but really they can affect an region of the world. I thought this was interesting because people do not realize the very real threat that invasive species pose to every part of the world and should be taken care of immediately to prevent the spread and growth of future invasive species.

Feltman, R. (2016, August 17). If you dump your pet goldfish into a lake, it will grow into an enormous pest. Retrieved August 28, 2016, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2016/08/17/if-you-dump-your-pet-goldfish-into-a-lake-it-will-grow-into-an-enormous-pest/

Many people in Australia have been dumping pet goldfish into local waterways filled with native aquatic species. These pets, when in the wild, become carnivorous and have been beginning to majorly threaten native fish species; whether it be eating the directly or consuming algae or plankton that the native fish live off of, many goldfish have been known to eat the eggs of the native fish. The goldfish have been seen to so  much as quadruple in size, and weigh up to 4 pounds after being dumped in Australian waterways. Public authorities have asked citizens to stop dumping these pets because they are endangering native species in Australian waterways as well as the aquatic habitat.

This article shows people’s ignorance when it comes to the environment because they have started to dump domesticated fish into wild aquatic environments where they are wreaking havoc. It relates to environmental science because it demonstrates how, despite people’s thinking, dumping goldfish into local waterways can seriously damage the aquatic environment. I think that it is kind of weird that people would dump their goldfish into a lake instead of trying to find other places for it to go, and that people continue to do so despite what everyone telling them not to. While I know that the goldfish are hurting the environment, I think it is kind of funny that they can grow to be so large.

Nuwer, R.. (2016, June 21). History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places | Smithsonian. The Global Price of Invasive Species. Retrieved August 28, 2016, from http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/global-price-invasive-species-180959522/

According to a recent study by Dean Paini along with other researchers, a country’s level of trade has a direct correlation with the amount of invasive species in that particular country. The U.S., China, India, and Brazil are the major agricultural producers worldwide, which directly relates to the fact that those countries have the most invasive species. With a cost of over $40 billion in the U.S. alone going towards the extermination of invasive species, the current cumulative total worldwide is higher than ever and continuously rising. Those countries who have a higher trade rate are the ones most likely to either send pests to other countries or receive them from their trading partners worldwide; on the other hand, those countries who are still in the process of development, such as Ethiopia, are at the largest risk of having invasive species brought into their country.
This shows the relationship between trade and invasive species, and how humans are the primary reason that such species are brought to their non-native countries. This study relates to environmental science because it shows how, as a result of man-made tradition (trade),  non-native species are forced to interact with unfamiliar environments and in many cases wreak havoc on the native species, which affects the world in tremendous ways. It seems crazy to me that the United States alone spends $40 billion each year on these species, yet they are one of the main contributors to bringing new species to other lands, and are one of the most likely to have non-native species brought here. Yet, even though they are aware of this, they continue to do nothing to help, such as regulate and control trade with other countries or check if they are shipping species to other countries through trade. All of this ties back to environmental science because it helps to show the huge affect invasive species have on the modern world and how humans are no help to prevent such things.

Geggel, L.. (2016, July 26). Goodbye, Weasels! New Zealand to Wipe Out Its Invasive Predators. Retrieved August 28, 2016, from http://www.livescience.com/55542-predator-free-new-zealand.html

While humans have only inhabited New Zealand for less than 800 years, many native species of animals, including several species of flightless birds, inhabited the land prior to humans. With humans came many predatory mammals such as rats, weasels, and possums; throughout the past hundreds of years these invasive species have been endangering the native birds and lizards of New Zealand. Not only do they consume the native species of bird, but also eat around $2.3 billion worth of crops each year, which hurts New Zealand economically. As a plan to combat these ‘pests’, the New Zealand government has pledged to initially invest $20 million into getting rid of these invasive species. It is said that by 2050, all of the rats, possums, weasels, and other invasive species will have been exterminated from New Zealand.

This article shows how invasive species in New Zealand have affected not only the native species to the country but also the economy by consuming a massive amount of crops each year. As an act against these species, the government in New Zealand has decided to take extreme measures to eradicate them in order to preserve the native species and save billions of dollars. This article relates to environmental science because it shows how invasive species can majorly affect populations of other species and destroy plants vital to an economy. It amazes me how such small animals can cause such a large impact on an entire country.